Pokéshipping Week 2016
by nyislandersgirl
Summary: 7 short stories to celebrate Pokéshipping Week 2016! Inspired by Ash and Misty's partnership, friendship, and their romantic feelings for one another.
1. Alola

**Hi guys! Happy PokeShipping week! I finally have enough time this year to contribute to the week celebrating my favorite pairing, so naturally I'm going to take advantage!**

 **This collection will feature 7 short stories...one for each day of the week. Each story will feature a different theme, all chosen by the PokeShipping community. Some alternate themes were also offered, but no matter what, I will be picking from those provided themes!**

 **For our first story, we will be focusing on Alola. We still don't know much about this new region, but I love new regions, so I decided to try my hand at it with the knowledge that we do have!**

 **As always: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, there'd be a lot more continuity and recurring traveling companions all over the place!**

* * *

 **Alola**

"Oh my gosh! It's so cute!"

Ash sighed, but the amused smirk on his face was telling the _real_ story. "Misty, you've said that about every water type we've seen since we got here."

Misty had stopped to look over the railing at the ocean. A Wishiwashi was leaping in and out of the water, its tiny blue and white body shimmering in the sunlight.

"That's because they're all so cute," Misty giggled, turning her back towards the railing. "And there are _so many_ of them! This place sure is beautiful."

Now Ash had his brow furrowed. "How can you tell? We just got off the plane 20 minutes ago."

Misty smirked and shot the boy an incredulous look. "Ash, anybody with eyes could tell you how beautiful this place is! It doesn't matter if it's been 20 minutes or 20 _years_. Just look at all of the trees, the flowers, the blue ocean!"

Ash smiled and shook his head at her overexcitement. Misty had come to visit him and his mother on his most recent return from his latest journey. When Ash commented he was tired, his mother suggested a vacation. This got Misty's attention right away.

" _A vacation?" She repeated, obviously intrigued. "To where?"_

" _Oh, there are so many places we could go!" Delia replied, causing Misty to blush. She wasn't sure if the "we" was meant to include her or not, but just the very thought of going on a trip with Ash and his mother was enough to make her heart race. That was something that perhaps a couple would do, and she and Ash certainly weren't that._

 _As much as she'd like to be._

" _I think somewhere warm would be best," Delia continued, oblivious to Misty's flustered state. "Somewhere that's far off and very different from Kanto."_

" _Hey, I know!" Ash suddenly cried, alarming Misty and snapping her back to reality. "Alola!"_

" _Alola?" Misty muttered. "Didn't you travel through there once?"_

" _Sure did!" Ash replied warmly. "It was great! There are so many cool Pokémon there that you never see in any other region."_

 _Misty rested her head in her hand and rolled her eyes. "Don't you ever think of_ anything _besides Pokémon? The point of a vacation is not to look for Pokémon, Ash."_

" _It's part of mine," Ash grumbled, a small pout gracing his face._

" _I'm surprised you're even taking the idea of a vacation seriously," Misty continued, unaffected by such a look. "You're usually so ready to set off on your next journey."_

" _Yeah, but I think maybe I've been doing a bit too much of that," Ash admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess you gotta go a bit slower as you get older."_

 _Misty rolled her eyes at the comment. "Ash, you're 17."_

" _So? That's older," Ash reasoned._

" _Whatever," Misty sighed, tired of the banter._

" _Alright, Alola it is!" Delia decided, clapping her hands together. "I'll have Professor Oak call up his cousin to help us find a nice hotel. Misty, you're coming with us, right?"_

 _Misty's blush from before returned, but this time it had intensified tenfold. Ash's face was now red as well._

" _M-me?" Misty stammered, pointing at herself._

" _Of course!" Delia giggled. "I think it'd be so nice to have one of Ash's closest friends join us!"_

 _A shiver went up Misty's spine at the way Delia used the phrase "closest friends." She had said it in such a way that she wanted to say something else…almost like "closest friends" was just a cover._

" _Besides, you work so hard at the gym," Delia continued. "I think you could use a nice vacation too! Don't you think?"_

 _Misty slowly moved her eyes towards Ash. He wasn't looking at her, just his mother. But his eyes were wide, his jaw was dropped, and his cheeks were red._

" _Ash?" Delia prodded._

 _The boy finally shook his head out before turning to face Misty, smiling at her. "Yeah! I think it'd be really fun if you came with us, Mist!"_

 _Her heart fluttered at the use of her nickname; the one that only Ash called her by. The sweet smile on his face soon brought one to Misty's, and she gave a small nod of her head._

" _It_ does _sound like fun…alright! Let's go to Alola!"_

Once Samson Oak picked them up from the airport and drove them into Hau'oli City, Misty's eyes lit up in the exact same way they had when she'd seen all the different water type Pokémon.

"Look at all of these shops!" Misty marveled, pressing her face against the glass of the rickshaw they were riding in.

"Please no shopping," Ash groaned, throwing his head back.

"Don't be silly!" Delia giggled. "Of course we have to do some shopping while we're here. They have such beautiful things, especially in the marketplace!"

Ash sighed and sunk down in his seat. "And you guys get upset with me for talking about Pokémon…"

Pikachu, who was sitting on his trainer's lap, snickered at the boy's misfortune.

Misty finally pulled away from the window of the rickshaw, smiling over her shoulder at the pouty teen. "Don't be such a grouch, Ash. Remember, this is a vacation! You have to relax and enjoy yourself."

Ash thought about this for a moment before replying, "You know what would help me relax?"

Misty blinked, uncomfortable warmth beginning to tickle her cheeks. "What?"

"A battle."

Misty gasped dramatically and nearly fell out of her seat. "What?! Are you kidding me?!"

Ash tilted his head, not understanding Misty's dramatic response. "No. I find battles to be very relaxing!"

Misty sighed and shook her head. "What about hanging out on the beach? That's relaxing! I think that might be a better idea than going out looking for a Pokémon battle."

"But Misty, don't you want to see more Alolan water types?" Ash asked.

"I can see them on the beach," Misty grumbled.

"Yeah, but not in full action!" Ash cried. "You haven't seen anything until you've seen Popplio using its bubbles like bouncy little trampolines to-"

"Ash, I didn't want to come to Alola to watch you battle other people," Misty hissed, narrowing her eyes at the confused boy.

"Then why did you want to come to Alola with me?" Ash asked.

Misty's heart nearly stopped at the question. The rickshaw came to a halt, Ash and Misty's eyes still locked and refusing to leave one another. Delia leaned over to inform the two that they had arrived, but when she saw the current situation, she shut her mouth and slipped out of the rickshaw on her own, a little smile on her face. Pikachu had followed right after her, settling himself on her shoulder.

"Is everything alright?" Samson asked, confused by Delia's expression.

"Just fine," Delia confirmed, nodding her head.

Samson raised an eyebrow and looked into the rickshaw over her shoulder. "And those two…?"

"Oh, they're a little complicated," Delia replied, her smile widening. "Teenagers, you know?"

Back in the rickshaw, Ash and Misty hadn't moved an inch. They hadn't even realized they'd stopped, or that Delia had already gotten out.

"Misty," Ash pressed, "why did you want to come to Alola with me?"

"You know why," Misty breathed. "I'm tired like you are and I wanted to relax. That's all."

Ash just stared at her for another moment. "I don't think that's the only reason."

Misty scoffed. "What, now you're a detective all of a sudden?"

"You've always liked watching me battle," Ash countered. "You've always liked cheering me on and making fun of me whenever I make a stupid decision. But now you keep talking about shopping and the beach…those are things we'd kind of do on our own, without anyone else. Maybe even without my mom."

Misty sighed and averted her eyes. "It's just…I've missed you, Ash. You're always gone for so long on these journeys of yours. And yes, of course I love watching you battle! But I do that all the time on TV. Every league tournament you've been in over the past few years, every battle competition…I watch them all. Now we finally have the opportunity to spend some time together, and I'd like to do something that doesn't make me feel like I'm just staring at you through a TV screen. I want to do something that we could only do together when we're _with_ each other."

Ash was just staring at Misty with an unreadable expression, and all of a sudden she felt far too vulnerable to be comfortable.

"I…I don't even know if that makes sense," Misty tried, "but-"

"It makes sense," Ash cut Misty off, his voice soft. "I'm sorry I didn't get it sooner."

Misty's eyebrows shot up. Ash actually understanding her? And apologizing for being dense? She could hardly believe it, and she couldn't stop her lips from curling up at it.

"It's okay," Misty breathed, her voice a bit shaky. "I'm just glad I don't sound crazy."

Now Ash was smiling. "You don't sound crazy. Not at all. Now…why don't we get off and decide where you'd like to go first?"

Misty giggled and nodded her head. "I would like that."

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed my try at Alola! Like I said, a little challenging, but it sure was fun to give it a go!**

 **I can't wait to share stories throughout the rest of the week with you all! The influx of new content during PokeShipping Week is part of what makes this week so special, and I am thrilled to be participating again this year!**


	2. Wordless Communication

**Welcome to day two! For today, I decided to choose one of the selected alternate themes: "Wordless Communication." Why, you might ask? Well, I studied communications in school and I find all aspects and different forms of communication to be fascinating. So when I saw this theme, I got a really great idea for it right away that I thought was PERFECT to describe Ash and Misty's relationship as a couple.**

 **So, please enjoy my contribution for day two!**

* * *

 **Wordless Communication**

Ash and Misty had both informed Brock, albeit separately, that they were not currently on speaking terms with one another.

If they were any other couple, Brock might've panicked. He might have sat them both down and forced them to talk it out. He might have tricked them into making up.

But this was not any other couple. It was Ash and Misty. They did not necessarily function like any other couple in the world. They were also both ridiculously stubborn, and arguing with either of them was about as useful as arguing with a brick wall. So Brock just looked at both of them, said "okay" and moved on with his day.

When dinner was finally ready, Ash and Misty sat on opposite sides of the table. Ash sat next to Brock, while Misty got an entire side to herself. At first, Ash was smirking at Misty. She looked up and saw that smug look, and instantly, her own face twisted into contempt. Just as quickly, however, it softened. When _that_ happened, Ash dropped his smirk and instead adopted a look of confusion. Gathering her plates of food, Misty laid them all out in front of her, taking up her entire side of the table and spreading out her meal however she pleased. Ash raised his eyebrows and glanced down at _his_ side of the table. Well…his and Brock's side. That meant Ash only got _half_ of the table space that Misty got. He couldn't spread his plates out however he wanted, and he had _a lot_ more food than Misty did! Ash picked up his head and scowled at Misty, who was now sporting her own victorious smile.

They weren't saying a damn thing to one another, yet the silence was _deafening_. It was bad enough to get Brock to look up at the two feuding partners, and when he saw them silently taunting one another and exchanging various looks of conceit and frustration, he could hardly believe it.

Hardly, again, because this was Ash and Misty.

"So…how's the food?" Brock asked, desperate to break up the silence in any way he could.

"Fine," Ash and Misty replied at exactly the same time. They both shot vicious glares across the table at one another, causing Brock to involuntarily pull his shoulders back.

"Right…" he muttered.

Ash and Misty let their glares linger a few seconds longer before returning to their meals. Misty's eyes, however, floated up to look at Ash after only a few seconds. He was busily eating, not looking at her at all. If anything, this only seemed to incense Misty even more. She began stabbing roughly at her salad, her hand moving so forcefully that the tips of her fork were going straight through the foliage and making angry scraping sounds against her plate. This was the key to getting Ash to look back up at her. He raised an eyebrow at her actions, watching on as Misty finally managed to collect enough salad on her fork to shove into her mouth. She chewed it forcefully, her narrowed eyes stuck on Ash as her teeth gnashed. Ash's second eyebrow finally joined his first one up his forehead as he rolled his eyes, looking back down as he continued to eat his own salad in a far calmer manner.

Brock sighed and put his fork down, folding his hands atop the table as he smiled at Ash, then at Misty. "Lovely weather we've been having, huh?"

Misty swallowed her mouthful of salad, now setting her narrowed glare on the Pokémon doctor. "Hey, Brock?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

 **XXX**

The silence continued throughout dinner and throughout cleanup. Ash and Misty both helped Brock wash the dishes and take down the table and chairs, but neither one spoke to one another. Brock also found himself having to take plates out of Misty's hands before drying them off because he was afraid she would shatter them.

And they were made of _plastic_.

Once everything was all cleaned up and taken down, Ash and Misty announced, once again at the exact same time, that they were going to get ready for bed. Another angry stare down ensued. Brock could only sigh and walk over to his own backpack, feeling way too tired to try and keep up with the argument any longer.

After pulling out his pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste, Brock turned around and found Ash and Misty's backs facing one another as they both rifled through their respective backpacks. They were both pulling things out and slamming them on the ground.

"I'm going to brush my teeth," Brock finally announced to the two younger trainers, his voice piercing the air and sounding far louder than it actually was. Ash and Misty both turned to stare at him, to which Brock held up his toothbrush and toothpaste for emphasis. That was apparently enough for the two of them, as they both turned away once again and continued to violently sift through their supplies.

Brock got to his feet and disappeared into the trees to complete the task. He figured if he left Ash and Misty alone long enough, they might finally decide to speak to one another and work things out.

Either that or they'd just go ahead and kill one another.

He took his time brushing his teeth, not in any rush to get back to the campsite. Once he was done, he was so hesitant to go back that he considered just lingering there for a while. Eventually, he decided that it was immoral to stay there knowing his friends may be on the verge of murdering one another, so he decided to head back and prepared himself to break the two up.

As Brock got closer to the campsite, he realized he could hear something. It was very soft, but it was definitely no longer silent. When he took another step forward, he realized it sounded almost like smacking. Almost like…

His eyes widened and he ran until he reached the edge of the campsite. Once there, he saw Ash pushing Misty up against a tree, his hands locked around her waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. Their lips were pressed together, the two of them passionately making out in a way that Brock had really never seen before…and could've lived without ever seeing.

With a disgruntled groan, Brock turned his back to the two and trudged off, grumbling to himself, "I think _that's_ more disturbing than the silence."


	3. Getting Along with Each Other's Pokemon

**Day three! Give it up for day three!**

 **Today I'm going back to the regularly scheduled theme: "Getting Along with Each Other's Pokémon." I've always loved the relationship between Misty and Pikachu, and there is another theory among Pokeshipping fans that I really enjoy...so I decided to forge ahead with those two things and create this installment!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Getting Along with Each Other's Pokémon**

"Oh Pikachu, you're so sweet!"

Ash ticked his eyebrow in annoyance as Misty's airy giggles filled the air for what felt like the hundredth time in the past five minutes. He was hungry, and therefore agitated. Brock had gone off to fetch some firewood so he could begin cooking, and the wait for lunch was slowly beginning to drive Ash insane.

Across from him, Misty sat with Pikachu on her lap, scratching the mouse between his ears. Pikachu was mumbling happily, his tail shifting back and forth as Misty paid him special attention.

As bad as it sounded, that whole exchange was just making Ash's disposition even more sour. Sure, Misty and Pikachu were two of his best friends, but Pikachu was his Pokémon. Heck, he was _more_ than _just_ Ash's Pokémon. He was his _partner_! Yet he tended to get more grief from the mouse than Misty ever did. When he was with Misty, Pikachu was always in a good mood and let her shower him with attention. But if Ash ever made a bad joke or was getting too whiny, Pikachu would either scold him or, worst case scenario, shock him.

But oh no, _never_ Misty.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Ash suddenly blurted, unable to keep himself silent. Misty and Pikachu both looked over at the young trainer, each one making a soft noise of interest. "Let's have a battle to pass the time while we wait for Brock to come back!"

Misty hummed thoughtfully before turning her eyes down on the electric-type sitting in her lap. "What do you think, Pikachu?"

Pikachu thought it over for a brief moment before squeaking, "chu."

With a smirk, Misty looked back up at Ash and quipped, "sorry, not right now!"

"What?!" Ash cried. "Pikachu's not even your Pokémon! What do you care if he wants to battle or not?!"

"Because I'm busy petting him right now," Misty smoothly replied. "Besides, he's _your_ Pokémon, so if he doesn't want to battle, then that still means no battle."

"Like it matters. I'd have to use a different Pokémon anyway," Ash grumbled. "He never wants to battle you."

"I know, it's because we're such good friends!" Misty giggled.

"Pi!" Pikachu agreed.

"Please, it's only because you spoil him," Ash scoffed.

Misty's brow furrowed rather deeply. "Excuse me?"

Now it was Ash's turn to smirk. He'd finally pushed Misty's buttons just the way he wanted to. "You're fooling yourself if you think Pikachu likes you as much as he likes me. You're just constantly offering to pet him and give him treats."

Pikachu turned around to face Misty, frantically waving his paws up and down. "Pika chu, pikachupi! Pi kachu!"

Misty smiled at the mouse and rubbed under his chin, earning another delighted squeak from the creature. "I know that's not the only reason we're friends, Pikachu. Don't let Ash upset you like that!"

Ash's jaw practically dropped. "Seriously?! I'm his _trainer_!"

"That doesn't mean you aren't acting like a brat right now," Misty sniffed.

"Ka," Pikachu agreed, turning to rub himself against Misty.

Ash scowled and quickly turned his attention onto someone _other_ than Misty and Pikachu: Togepi.

The baby Pokémon was toddling around Misty's feet, trilling to no one in particular as she entertained herself. With a mischievous smirk, Ash strode forward and lifted the spike ball Pokémon into his hands, earning a confused squeak from the little creature.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked, already unimpressed with whatever his answer was going to be.

"If you and Pikachu are going to be all buddy-buddy, then Togepi and I will be the same way!" Ash gloated, grinning at the baby Pokémon. "What do you say?"

Togepi began to chirp happily, waving her little arms up and down.

"See?" Ash boasted. "Best friends already!"

Misty just rolled her eyes and began to scratch Pikachu again, earning more happy mumbles from the mouse.

"Alright guys, I'm back with the firewood, so…"

Brock trailed off when he caught sight of Pikachu sitting with Misty, and Ash bouncing Togepi up and down. His arms, weighted down by firewood, suddenly felt even heavier as he just stood there and gawked, unbeknownst to the two younger trainers. They obviously hadn't heard him return.

"Uh…what's going on here?" Brock questioned, a bit more loudly than before.

That did the trick. Ash and Misty both snapped their heads up, eyes set wide with surprise.

"Brock, when did you get back?" Ash asked.

"Just now, although you didn't hear me the first time," Brock grumbled. "But really, what are you two doing? Why did you switch Pokémon?"

"We didn't switch!" Ash cried, alarmed by the very idea.

"I didn't mean _literally_ ," Brock sighed. "But you're holding Togepi, and Misty's got Pikachu. Did you two make a bet or something?"

"Of course not," Misty replied coolly. "Our Pokémon just get along with one another very well! Ask Ash, he can't stand that Pikachu and I are buddies."

"Chu," Pikachu murmured.

"I never said that!" Ash protested.

"He said I spoil him," Misty continued, smirking at Brock.

"Because you do!" Ash cried.

Brock shifted his eyes between the two before sighing out of exasperation. "Right…well…I hate to break up this little game of house, but I could use some help setting up lunch."

Ash and Misty were about to respond in the affirmative, but both lost their responses in their throats when Brock's words hit them full on.

"HOUSE?!" Ash and Misty cried simultaneously.

Brock smirked, pleased that his plan to rile up the two had worked. "You mean you guys have never noticed that Pikachu treats Togepi like a baby sibling? And that Togepi views you two as her parents? Sounds an awful lot like playing house to me! A really comprehensive game of playing house, actually."

Misty huffed and got to her feet, snatching Togepi from Ash's hands. Pikachu, on the other hand, scurried back over to Ash and up onto his shoulder.

"Please, the only one around her who Togepi views as a parent is _me_ ," Misty indignantly argued. "She just happens to be very friendly with other people, that's all!"

"Whatever you say," Brock replied, his voice still buoyant with playfulness. "But nature tells us that the first thing a newly hatched Pokémon sees is what they believe to be their mother. The second is their father. And _I_ wasn't the one who pushed his way in to see Togepi right after you."

With that, Brock walked off to set the firewood down and begin cooking. Ash and Misty, on the other hand, reluctantly made eye contact before both blushing fiercely and looking away.

"Yeah right," Misty grumbled.

"This is what I get for being a good trainer," Ash huffed. "We should've just had a battle instead…"

* * *

 **I've always loved the idea that Togepi views Ash as her father. I think it's so cute (and obviously, as a Pokeshipper, I just love it!) And since we already know that Pikachu loves Misty, well, why not combine the two and get a little bit of jealousy going between Ash and Misty!**


	4. Protecting Each Other

**Happy day four! Can you believe the week is already halfway over? I never want it to end!**

 **Today's theme is "Protecting Each Other." This one I feel like I struggled with the most out of all the stories I've written for this week so far. Ultimately, I think I liked what I came up with. Hopefully you guys do too!**

* * *

 **Protecting Each Other**

Misty grimaced as she, Ash, and Brock reached the entrance of the forest.

"Guys, I'm not so sure about this," Misty muttered.

She had been just loud enough for both boys to hear. They turned around, shooting Misty confused looks.

"Why not?" Ash asked. Suddenly, he saw the familiar fear flashing in Misty's eyes, and it caused him to furrow his brow. "Oh no, not the stupid bugs again."

"Yes the stupid bugs again!" Misty hissed. "You know I don't like them, and forests are always _full_ of those creepy things!"

"Yeah well, you don't like them so they probably don't like you," Ash scoffed, causing Brock to sigh.

"Oh no, it's the exact opposite," Misty started. "They _love_ me. Which I don't get! I thought Pokémon could sense fear and intentions and all that. So why do they always come near _me?!_ "

"Probably because they know you'll freak out and they think it's funny," Ash concluded, his tone indicating he was tired of having this conversation. The smirk on his face contradicted that, however. He had clearly found his last quip to be funny. Unfortunately for him, Misty didn't.

"Would you quit joking around?!" Misty fumed. "I'm seriously freaked out here!"

"Could you two quit fighting for maybe five seconds?" Brock sighed. "Look Misty, we understand you're afraid of bugs. But that doesn't mean we can just avoid the forest! It's the only way we can get to the next town. You've made it through plenty of forests before, I know you can make it through this one too."

Misty huffed and turned her head away. "Yeah, but we've already been through like five forests this month. I'm sick of it!"

Ash snickered and turned around to face the forest mouth. "Don't worry, Mist. Brock and I will protect you from the big, bad bugs!"

As Ash and Brock started to walk away, Misty glowered at the back of their heads. Left without a choice, however, she soon began to follow after them, her fingers tightly gripping the strings of her backpack as her nerves began to fray.

The first 15 minutes or so were very uneventful. The forest actually seemed to be pretty quiet, with not even a Pidgey in sight. Misty began to relax as time wore on and no bug types appeared. She was even able to insert herself in the conversation Ash and Brock had been having exclusively with themselves while she'd been in her own head worrying.

Then everything fell apart.

The muted sound of buzzing suddenly filled the air, causing all three trainers to stop dead in their tracks. Even as they looked around, however, they didn't see anybody else – people _or_ Pokémon – around.

"Uh…where do you guys think that's coming from?" Ash asked.

"Not sure," Brock replied. "But we probably shouldn't worry about it too much. As long as we keep to ourselves and don't- "

He was cut off as a swarm of Beedrill emerged from the tree tops, setting their big red eyes on the group and swooping in towards them. All three of them screamed and started to sprint, but the Beedrill were in hot pursuit. As they ran, they reached a fork in the path, and in the height of their fear, accidentally split up: Brock going to the left and Ash and Misty to the right.

As Ash and Misty ran, it didn't take them long to realize they had chosen the wrong path. Not long after they'd hung the right, they were greeted by a wall of rocks: a total dead end. Both trainers whipped around, finding that the Beedrill were still coming right for them.

"Help!" Misty shrieked, grabbing onto Ash's arm. He took in a sharp breath and looked at her with wild eyes. Them he whipped his head forward once more to see the Beedrill getting closer and closer.

"Pikachu, quick! Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

The electric mouse jumped off his shoulder, using his strongest electrical attack to shock the Beedrill. The burst of electricity was so strong, however, that a spark went bouncing off the rock wall that Ash and Misty were backed up against. Feeling the familiar buzz above his head, Ash yanked Misty to the ground, stumbling and falling right on top of her. Almost as soon as the two hit the ground, Pikachu's attack ended, and the Beedrill began to fly off in the opposite direction.

Misty groaned, slowly coming back to reality. She had all but blacked out during the last few minutes, and was just now processing where she was. When she shifted her eyes and saw Ash lying right on top of her, she shrieked. Her mind was telling her to struggle, to try and get Ash off of her, but her body wouldn't follow.

"Ash!" Misty cried, her voice nearly breathless.

Ash grumbled, obviously in a similar state to Misty. When he came to, however, and realized that he was on top of Misty, he gasped and did manage to push himself off. As soon as he did, however, he cried out in pain, clutching the side of his head.

"Ash, what's wrong?!" Misty breathed, finally sitting up.

"My head hurts…" Ash groaned. When he reluctantly pulled his hand away from his temple, he saw that his palm was covered in blood, and his eyes widened.

"You're bleeding!" Misty gasped. Looking up at the rock wall behind them, Misty saw just a few specks of his blood staining the nearly white façade. "Oh, you must've hit your head on the rocks when you…"

As she trailed off, Ash blinked his eyes. "When I what?"

Misty nervously wrung her hands together before counting, "when you pushed me out of the way of Pikachu's stray thunderbolt."

"Oh," Ash muttered, suddenly remembering he had in fact done that.

Misty swallowed thickly and shook her head. "We have to get you help."

"I'm sure it's not a big deal," Ash assured the worried girl. "I bet Brock could fix me up!"

Misty opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off by the familiar buzzing sounds.

"Oh no, not again," Ash groaned, struggling to get to his feet. Almost as soon as he got up, a wave of dizziness overtook him, and he fell back to his knees.

"Ash!" Misty cried, grabbing onto his shoulders. The buzzing grew louder, causing Misty to look up. The swarm of Beedrill had returned, but this time, they weren't quite as frenzied as before. In a strange way, they were actually…calm.

Then a much larger shadow appeared several feet away, slowly floating its way between the two rows of Beedrill on either side. Its red eyes, more narrowed than the Beedrill's, glowed menacingly in the darkness. As the creature flew closer, and came into the light, its entire figure was revealed.

It _looked_ like a Beedrill, but not quite the same. It had shorter, sharper antennae, three pairs of wings, two extra stingers, and a slimmer, more defined body with an even longer and sharper stinger.

"Mega Beedrill," Ash muttered, his voice laced with fear.

"Mega Beedrill?" Misty repeated, whipping her head back around to look at the giant bug. "How can there be a Mega Beedrill here? There's no way all of these Beedrill have trainers!"

"Mega evolution isn't exactly cut and dry, you know," Ash commented. "Clearly, Mega Beedrill is the hive leader, and it came here to get revenge for the others."

As if on cue, Beedrill went charging towards Ash and Misty. Ash tried to get up again, but fell once more. Misty was terrified. Of Mega Beedrill yes…but now she was even more terrified for _Ash_. He was badly hurt and wouldn't be able to protect her from Beedrill this time. Now, it was her turn to protect him.

She jumped over his limp figure, Ash's stunned eyes following her. Misty stood strong in front of him, throwing her poké ball out in front of her with a cry of, "Staryu, water gun!"

The star shape Pokémon emerged and shot a stream of water from its top spike at Mega Beedrill, hitting it right in the face. Mega Beedrill buzzed out of annoyance, its wings faltering and struggling to keep itself up.

"Rapid spin!" Misty cried.

Staryu jumped up and spun around like a flying disc, striking Mega Beedrill in the midsection. This time, the poison bee Pokémon cried out in pain. It staggered backwards in the air, and when it put out its stingers to threaten Staryu, the water type Pokémon simply shrieked threateningly in response. After a short stare down, Mega Beedrill let out a short buzz and turned around to fly away, its minion Beedrill following closely behind.

Once they were gone, Misty let out a tired breath and fell to her knees. Looking up again, she smiled weakly at her Pokémon, murmuring, "thanks, Staryu. You were great."

She returned the water type to its ball and took in another breath before getting to her feet and walking back over to Ash.

"Misty…" Ash breathed.

"What?" Misty half groaned, expecting Ash to tease her in some fashion.

"That was…amazing!"

Misty's eyes widened as she tilted her head to the side. "What?"

"You just fought off a Mega Beedrill!" Ash laughed. "For someone who's deathly scared of bug Pokémon, that was really impressive."

"Oh…" Misty murmured, her lips curving up into a little smile. "Thank you!"

Ash blushed slightly and looked away. "Actually, I should be thanking _you_. The only reason you had to fight that Mega Beedrill is because I got hurt and you had to protect me."

Misty's mouth went dry. "Maybe…but… _you_ protected me from the _whole swarm_ of them."

Ash grinned at her. "I guess we can call ourselves even then."

Misty giggled softly and pulled her shoulders back. "Sounds good to me."

Ash hummed as he pushed himself up a little more. "You know, you looked almost like a superhero when you jumped over me to face that Mega Beedrill…"

Misty scoffed and looked over her shoulder; partially looking for Brock and partially to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Alright, I think you've lost a little too much blood there, Mr. Pokémon Master."

* * *

 **As I wrote this, I wondered if it really was possible to see a mega evolved Pokémon in the wild. But then I figured that there really is so much mystery behind mega evolution that it could be possible in some capacity, so that's what I went with. Because really, what would be scarier to Misty than a whole swarm of Beedrill? Well, how about a giant, super powerful one?**

 **I'll see you all again tomorrow for day five!**


	5. Sleeping Together

**It's day five y'all! And I'm here with a theme I was very much looking forward to...**

 **When I saw "Sleeping Together" was chosen as a theme, I immediately got really excited. There are so many possibilities that could go with it! I decided I wanted to go with a combination of sweetness, a little bit of innocence, and a bit more of that innocence slowly beginning to fade away. So with those ideas in mind, I came up with this story!**

 **As I always like to warn my readers, this one strongly upholds the T rating. There's nothing graphic involved, mind you, but the innuendos are strong.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Sleeping Together**

Ash Ketchum was quickly learning that 16 was a really awkward age.

He had thought 13 was bad, then 14, then 15…but 16 was an entirely different level of strange. Already his voice had deepened, and he'd grown taller and more muscular. But now his body was doing even weirder things that _that_. Things he had never experienced before or even heard of. He thought maybe Brock would have the answers for him…and he definitely did. Now Ash only wished he had never asked in the first place.

Misty had been his girlfriend for a year now. Though the two were officially dating, the relationship itself was still rather innocent. They didn't kiss or hold hands very often, although both liked doing it. When they did, it was usually without Brock in their presence. Either way, although romantic gestures did exist within their relationship, Ash and Misty both still preferred to tease one another more often than anything else. That was what felt natural to them, after all.

Now, with all of his physical changes and the inner turmoil that came with it, Ash was beginning to question what really did feel natural to him.

One night, the group decided to settle down in a nearby Pokémon Center for the evening. They ate dinner together in the cafeteria before checking into their room and preparing for bed. They settled in their usual sleeping arrangements: Ash and Misty on the bottom two bunks and Brock on the top bunk above Ash.

It felt like any other night, but for some reason, Ash just couldn't fall asleep. He was tired, but his body was restless. He rolled around a few times, trying to get comfortable, but to no avail. Pikachu, who was curled up atop the pillow, mumbled out of frustration, causing Ash to sit up on his elbows.

"Sorry, buddy," Ash whispered to the disgruntled mouse. In response, Pikachu sighed as a way of forgiveness.

Ash sat up all the way and inched out of bed, blinking his eyes a few times to adjust to the darkness of the room.

"Ash?"

The teen jolted, his eyes snapping open wide as he whipped his head forward. Misty was lying on her side, peering over at him. Ash's eyes were still adjusting to the lack of light in the room, but Misty's bright green eyes cut through to him perfectly clear.

"Misty," Ash wheezed, placing a hand over his heart. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Misty whispered. The apology was genuine. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ash mumbled, reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Just can't sleep, that's all."

"Me either."

Ash blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure why."

"Me either," Ash repeated Misty's earlier sentiments.

A slightly awkward silence settled in between the young couple. After a few more beats, Misty spoke up again, timidly asking, "why don't you come over here?"

"Over…there?"

"Yeah."

"Uh…sure."

Ash strode over to Misty's bed, standing by its side and staring down at her. Misty watched him with confused eyes, and after it went on for a bit too long, Misty grumbled, "I meant _in_ the bed, Ash."

Ash stared at her for a few more seconds, and then the shock became evident on his face. "WHAT?"

" _Ash!_ " Misty hissed, jumping up and slapping her hand over his mouth. "Be quiet! You'll wake up Brock!"

The boy beneath her palm settled down, although his eyes were still wild. Misty sighed and removed her hand, allowing her arm to hang by her side.

"Misty, I can't _get in bed_ with you!" Ash cried, albeit far more quietly than before.

"Why not?" Misty prodded. "What's stopping you?"

"Uh, my _mom!_ " Ash yelped.

"Your mom?" Misty repeated. "Ash, it's very simple. Just don't tell her."

"But…but…"

"I hope you know I don't intend on us _doing_ anything in bed," Misty practically growled, knowing what Ash's main concern was.

"Oh, you don't?" Ash breathed, his relief evident.

"No," Misty groaned, rolling her eyes. "Jeez. I know _you_ don't see it, but you really are becoming a stereotypical teenage boy. You're starting to think about that kind of stuff a lot."

Now Ash was grateful for the dark, because it meant Misty couldn't see the blush exploding all over his face. "I do not! How would you even know what I'm thinking? You can't get inside my head!"

"I don't have to," Misty deadpanned. "Your pants tell the whole story."

Ash could feel the blush traveling down his neck. "Why are you looking down there?"

"I'm your girlfriend, I can look wherever I want."

The teen subconsciously moved his hands down to cover that particular area of his body. Misty might not have been able to see the blush, but she could see that, and it drew a giggle from her.

"Come on," Misty urged, lying back down. "Quit being a baby and get in here."

Ash sighed. There was just no arguing with Misty. Well…actually…there was _a lot_ of arguing with Misty. But as far as _winning_ in an argument with Misty…that was pretty much impossible.

He crawled into the bed, his head hitting the pillow just as Misty pulled the covers over the two of them. They were so close that their noses were touching, and Ash crossed his eyes in to look at them.

"Turn around."

Ash brought his eyes back up and raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Turn around," Misty repeated. "I can't sleep if you're staring at me."

"Why do _I_ have to turn around?" Ash challenged. "If it's bothering you so much, then _you_ turn around!"

Now it was Misty's turn to arch an eyebrow as she shot Ash an incredulous look. The boy grumbled and flipped over, closing his eyes as he tried again to drift off to sleep. His attempt was thwarted, however, when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders. At this, Ash's blush returned, but after his previous exchange with Misty, it also riled him up a bit.

Looking over his shoulder, Ash hissed, "how come I can't face you but you can put your arms around me?"

Misty just smiled softly in response and shrugged her shoulders.

Ash huffed and turned his head back around. "That's not fair…"

Once again, Misty didn't respond. Ash made a face and closed his eyes, trying to adjust to Misty's arms constricting his upper body as he made another attempt to doze off.

Then one of her legs draped itself over his torso, her knee gently pressing into his stomach. Had Misty not been holding onto him so tightly, Ash would've spun around and asked her what the hell she was doing. Instead, he was stuck, his face burning up once again as Misty buried her head in the space between his neck and shoulder. Ash felt her lips press gently against the lower side of his neck, not quite a kiss but an obvious sign of affection. Now the heat was spreading once again, and this time, it was traveling a lot lower than his neck.

As he lay there in near shock, Misty finally loosened her grip on the boy. She brought her leg back over his body and unfurled her arms from his shoulders so she could push herself up by her hands to stare over the side of his face. "Really?"

"What?" Ash muttered.

"Do you _really_ have to have that in my bed?"

Ash finally threw himself over to face Misty, who immediately became startled. "First of all, I don't _control_ that. Second of all, you're the one who told me to get in bed with you and then started getting all touchy feely! What did you _think_ was going to happen?"

"Ash…"

"No, seriously, what did you think? That you practically kissing the most sensitive spot on my neck wouldn't rile me up?"

" _Ash…_ "

"And throwing your leg over me? I mean jeez, Misty, you were on top of me like I was a Ponyta! And you really thought I wasn't going to- "

"Ash, it's touching me!"

He quickly came crashing back down to reality, his stupor that had resulted from his scolding of his girlfriend shattering around him. As he sobered up, he realized that he was indeed very close to Misty, and that certain body parts were touching.

Once again, he froze. Except for his mouth.

"Uh…I…I…" Ash stammered, his brain short circuiting at every nerve ending.

Misty, for what it was worth, seemed to have gotten over her own mortification quite quickly. With Ash still sputtering, Misty leaned down and began to kiss him, gently cupping both sides of his jaw in both of her hands. Ash's attempts to speak died as soon as Misty's lips came down on his, and within seconds, he was kissing back, reaching up to lock his hands behind her neck. Once they both felt the need for air, they broke apart, and Misty instead headed down for his chest. She rested her head there, trailing one of her hands down Ash's stomach. He twitched under her touch, and finally, he found a coherent set of words to string together.

"You said…we weren't doing anything." Ash rasped, his words clear but his voice ragged.

" _We're_ not," Misty breathed, slowly picking her head up from his chest. "I've got other ways to help with that. And you don't have to do a thing."

Ash bit his lower lip and tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling with wide, unblinking eyes. "Okay…but…don't tell my mom, okay?"

"We're not telling her anything, Ash." Misty smirked and rolled her eyes. "Now shut up and don't ruin this."

* * *

 **Ash's main concern here is his mom finding out he's been up to some more grown-up activities ;) As if Misty would actually tell Delia about such things!**

 **We're getting close to the end, guys. Tomorrow is day six. See you all back here tomorrow for the next story!**


	6. Relationship Through the Eyes of Others

**It's day six, which means the second-to-last day of Pokeshipping Week :( But don't worry, I've still got two more stories to share with you all!**

 **This one holds the distinction of being the most unique...and having the longest title. The theme for today is "Their Relationship Through the Eyes of Others." I decided I wanted to approach this theme in such a way that we got a bunch of different perspectives. So, instead of writing one long, connecting story, I decided to do a drabble for several selected characters who I think are closest to Ash and Misty and would have the most interesting perspectives on or experiences with their relationship.**

 **So sit back and enjoy this collection of drabbles within a collection of short stories!**

* * *

 **Their Relationship Through the Eyes of Others**

 **Pikachu**

Pikachu was not a naïve Pokémon.

He understood how mating rituals worked. But Ash and Misty tended to confuse him, because they didn't really seem to follow the normal mating rituals.

He wasn't sure if it was because they were _humans_ , or because they were _Ash and Misty_. Pikachu tended to think it was the latter, because really, how different could the mating rituals of humans be than Pokémon? The two kinds of creatures were a lot more similar than people thought they were.

Ash and Misty tended to argue a lot more than Pokémon who were interested in pairing up did. Sure, some Pokémon fought when they wanted to impress a potential mate, but they fought with mating rivals. Not the Pokémon they were actually trying to mate _with_.

Pikachu could never help but to shift his beady black eyes between the two as they bickered, often letting out a tired sigh. Sometimes, if he got sick of hearing all of it, he'd thunderbolt them just to get some peace and quiet.

Other times, he wondered what on with those two behind closed doors, when he wasn't allowed to go with them…

 **Brock**

Brock often felt like a babysitter.

Yes, Ash and Misty were younger than him, but they were still old enough to be Pokémon trainers. That should've meant enough maturity to not fight like rabid Growlithe on a near daily basis.

 _Should've_ was the key word there.

But there were the rare days were Ash and Misty actually got along without a single dust up. Brock liked those the best. Not only because he got to take a break from playing referee, but because he really did like to see Ash and Misty getting along. The two of them made good friends, and deep down, Brock could tell that they both really cared about one another.

Of course, if you asked either one, they'd deny it in a heartbeat.

Still, on those days where Ash and Misty chose to be civil, it was nice to see them just sitting and talking, or looking at the stars together. They were simple, mundane little things, but Brock could feel a much deeper meaning behind them.

And although it was hard to believe it now, Brock was certain that one day, Ash and Misty would see the beauty in it too.

 **Daisy**

Daisy's first impression of Ash was that he was just a kid.

A kid who was dating her kid sister.

Misty had freaked out and denied it, blushing the whole way. Daisy was hardly affected by such a reaction. From then on, every time she saw Ash, she greeted him as "Misty's little boyfriend." It embarrassed Ash and ticked Misty off.

One day, a video phone call came in at the gym. Daisy was manning the front desk at the time and was the one to answer. The screen flickered to life, and she soon found herself staring at Ash through the screen.

Only…he looked a little different than he normally did.

A more defined jaw line, broader shoulders, stronger arms…

He was calling for Misty, of course, but Daisy couldn't stop staring at him. She was in literal shock, although Ash just thought the screen had frozen for a while. Misty finally showed up and shooed Daisy away, which the blonde did in a rather robotic fashion.

Not only was she going to have to drop the "little" part of Ash's nickname, but for once in her life, Daisy was going to have to ask her youngest sister for advice on how to find a guy like that.

 **Delia**

Delia wanted grandchildren.

She had told Ash this for the first time when he was just 14. Needless to say, he'd spit out the water he'd been drinking and exclaimed that he was just a kid himself. Delia, of course, had laughed it off and insisted not at the very moment, but in the future. That hardly did anything to placate her son.

A year later, Ash and Misty finally got together. Delia was overjoyed. She loved Misty like a daughter, and although she would've continued to love Misty that way even if she and Ash had never gotten together, Delia had always (not so) secretly hoped the two would find their way together. She knew that Misty could handle her son perfectly, and that the two balanced one another out in a way that she really believed no one else could. Everything felt right in the world.

And then Brock informed her that Ash had been asking him about puberty and more…advanced romantic feelings.

Delia panicked.

She sat Ash down right away, much to his confusion. Without missing a beat, she informed her son that Brock had told her he'd been asking certain questions. Ash's confusion quickly melted away into horror. Delia was oblivious. She reminded Ash that the grandchildren were going to come in the _future_ , not right away. Ash's entire face turned bright red as his mother laid out her expectations for how he was to treat Misty before going into _explicit_ detail about "the Pidgey and the Beedrill."

By the end of the one-sided talk, Delia decided she needed to go buy Ash a pack of condoms, and Ash decided he wanted to die of mortification.

 **Tracey**

Tracey thought Ash and Misty were cute.

They were like the little brother and sister he never had. Except for the fact that it became pretty obvious to him fairly early on that the two liked one another.

That kind of threw the whole "brother/sister" idea out the window.

But as sure as Tracey was that the two liked each other, he wasn't quite sure if they realized it themselves. He watched two of the Orange Crew members fawn over Misty, and continued to watch as Ash broke out into bursts of unbridled jealousy. Yet…Ash didn't understand _why_ he was jealous. It was so odd.

So Tracey took it upon himself to try and coerce the two into realizing their feelings. He'd bring it up casually, pointing out that the volatile behavior between two Pokémon who were in love's trainers was very similar to Ash and Misty. The two rounded on him, which actually brought Tracey some semblance of hope.

Maybe they realized they liked each other after all.

 **May**

May had always loved romance.

It didn't matter what form it came in. Fairytales, movies, novels…May loved it all. From the time she was a little girl, May was in love with the idea of love. She would play matchmaker on the playground at school or create her very own characters who were simply meant to be. It could drive other people insane (namely her brother, who also enjoyed teasing her for it) but May didn't care. No one could ever tell her that love wasn't one of the most important, wonderful things in the whole entire world.

That's why Ash and Misty fascinated her so much.

From the time they'd first met, May just assumed Ash to be clueless about most things. Except, of course, for Pokémon. But even from the start, there was one person who Ash frequently mentioned: Misty.

He brought her up all the time. They could be doing something, and he would suddenly say that it reminded him of something Misty had done once. Other times, it could be a conversation, and Ash would mention something Misty had said once. Whenever they saw a water type, Ash exclaimed that Misty would _love_ it.

May was convinced that Misty meant a little bit more to Ash than he realized.

The first time they'd met, May was in awe of her. Misty was beautiful, and such a strong trainer. May's admiration was no secret, and though it flattered Misty, it also unnerved her to an extent. That day, May offhandedly remarked that it was no wonder Ash talked about her all the time; that she was perfect for him.

Misty's response was to begin sputtering denials and flailing her arms. May had no idea why…her best guess was that a love that deep could just make you crazy.

 **Max**

Max had a habit of walking into awkward situations.

It wasn't something he enjoyed, obviously. But he seemed to have a real talent for it. He'd seen almost everything: his parents arguing, May practicing her kissing with a pillow, Kenny the gym assistant singing into his broom stick and giving a full on performance…it happened so often that Max could've written an entire book about all of the things he had unintentionally seen.

Although Max teased Ash often about his shortcomings as a trainer, he really did respect the older boy. In many ways, Max wanted to be just like Ash when he was finally old enough to become a trainer. As soon as he turned 10 and got his first Pokémon, Max set off to work just as hard as Ash always had.

When Max was 13, he decided to finally take on the Kanto region. He had given Ash a call upon making that decision, and found out from the raven haired teen that he'd be staying at his home in Pallet for a little while, and he'd love it if Max came for a visit. Needless to say, that was the first place Max headed. He couldn't pass up an opportunity to finally battle Ash, or see Professor Oak and his lab again!

When Max reached the house, it was the early evening. The lights inside of Ash's house were dimmed, and he couldn't see anyone inside. When Max approached the front door and knocked, no one came and answered. When he tried a second time, nothing.

But after that second knock, he could hear noises coming from inside. Max blinked and stepped away from the door, sneaking towards one of the front windows and peering into the living room. What he saw was two figures on the couch, both of them lying on top of one another and moving in a strange way. Something suddenly flew up in the air, and upon further inspection, Max realized that the person on top was _Misty_ , her shirt now gone and her bra visible. Beneath her, it was still difficult to see, but as soon as Max saw a spring of pitch black hair, he screamed and wound up backing himself off the porch.

Max still respected Ash, and still wanted to be like him, but he sure was going to be looking at him a little differently from then on.

* * *

 **I decided to only use the characters who have actually met both Ash and Misty. I would've loved to include characters like Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie, but I think it would've ended up way too long at that point (why does Ash have to have so many friends?) With the Alola friends coming in soon, perhaps one day I'll have to write a sequel to this one...**

 **Tomorrow is the grand finale! Though I'm sad to see this week end, I'm excited to share my last and final story with you all. So enjoy all of the other great work out there and I will be back tomorrow!**


	7. Life as a Couple

**I can't believe we're finally on the last day of Pokeshipping Week! I've had so much fun this week putting up these stories and looking at all of the other writing, art, and headcanons that have been put out by others. It's really been such a great week for this ship!**

 **So for the final theme, we have "Life as a Couple." Pretty self explanatory! For this one, I just wanted to explore an average day that Ash and Misty would experience as a couple...which, considering Ash's status as a very famous Pokémon trainer, isn't quite so average.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Life as a Couple**

Misty sighed tiredly as she rested her head in her hand, her green eyes shifting towards the open door.

Ash had been signing autographs for close to two hours now. All she'd been doing was watching him, but she was still exhausted. She could only imagine how Ash felt after two straight hours of this.

Still, it was sweet to watch. Most of the people who had lined up for his autograph were young kids. It was obvious they wanted to be just like him…some had even _dressed_ just like him. Some of the kids were completely stars truck and barely able to speak, while the others were brimming with excitement and energy and talking non-stop. No matter what, Ash made sure to indulge them. He would coax something out of the shy kids, and get just as enthusiastic as the outgoing ones.

Misty couldn't help but to smile at the sight. Ash really was the sweetest guy in the whole world…and he was all hers.

As the last kid scurried off, Ash stood up from the table and stretched his arms over his head. Pikachu, who had been sitting on the table, jumped onto his trainer's shoulder, nuzzling the young man's cheek. Ash laughed in response and reached over to scratch behind Pikachu's ears, earning a happy squeal that Misty could hear even from several feet away. With the smile still on her face, Misty got to her feet as Ash entered the back room she'd been waiting in for him.

"All done?" Misty asked.

"Yep!" Ash replied. "I can't believe how many people showed up…"

Misty's smile transformed into a smirk. "Were you really surprised that a lot of people wanted to meet the Kanto League champion?"

"Kind of," Ash admitted, surprising Misty. "I mean, I'm just a normal guy."

Misty's smirk widened as she shook her head. "I hate to break it to you, Ash, but you're no normal guy. A Pokémon League champion is a celebrity, especially when he's already announced he plans to challenge the Pokémon Master for his title."

Ash smiled sheepishly at the mention. "Guess you're right. But still, _I_ don't think of myself as a celebrity. Do you?"

"Personally? No," Misty admitted after a moment of deliberation. "To me, you're still just my lovable oaf of a boyfriend."

"Aw, thanks Mist!" Ash chuckled before stopping himself. "Wait…oaf?!"

Now it was Misty's turn to giggle. "Come on, aren't you hungry by now?"

"Don't change the subject!" Ash whined, sounding more like one of the young kids he had just met rather than his 19-year-old self. "Quit calling me names!"

"Okay, fine," Misty sighed. "What would you prefer me to call you?"

Ash stopped for a moment to think, tapping on his chin as he did so. Pikachu shifted his eyes over to his trainer, looking rather unimpressed. "How about…'the most attractive, smartest, talented Pokémon League champion and future Pokémon Master to have ever lived'?"

Misty shot her boyfriend a deadpan look. "Yeah right, like I'll ever remember _that_. Half of it is a lie anyway!"

Ash blinked hard. "Which half?"

"That's for you to figure out," Misty teased, throwing in a wink for good measure. "Now, I was serious about eating. Want to go get some food?"

Ash's stomach managed to answer before he did. The teen laughed nervously and blushed, while Misty just sighed and hung her head.

"Well, there's your answer!" Ash finally replied. "Let's go!"

"Hold on!"

Ash groaned and slowly turned back towards his girlfriend. "What? It was _your_ idea to get something to eat."

Misty wordlessly strode forward, gently lifting up one of Pikachu's little paws with her hand. Its fur was covered in black ink, and a matching paw print had been left behind on Ash's shirt.

"Oh," Ash murmured, turning his eyes towards his partner Pokémon. "Pikachu wanted to sign autographs too."

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu squeaked, nodding his head.

Misty sighed playfully and released Pikachu's paw, instead placing her hands on her hips. "You two may be a lot of work, but at least you're cute."

 **XXX**

Since they were in Viridian City, there was a new restaurant Misty had heard a lot about and was dying to try. Ash, who was never one to turn down the suggestion of any food, was happy to oblige. He did, however, have just one question for his girlfriend.

"Misty, what exactly is the price point of this place?" Ash asked as the two walked down the street hand-in-hand.

"Uh…what do you mean?" Misty asked, putting on a false tone of bewilderment. She knew exactly what Ash meant, but she didn't particularly want to answer him.

"I mean is this lunch going to burn a hole in my wallet?" Ash pressed.

"Oh," Misty murmured. "Well…I wouldn't put it _that_ way…"

Ash groaned. "Why do you have to have such expensive taste? I mean, what if I want to save up money to buy you a-um…"

"A what?" Misty prodded, one eyebrow rising.

"A…uh…new pair of shoes!" Ash blurted. "Yeah, that."

Misty smirked and shook her head. "I don't have _that_ expensive of a taste, you know. My sisters are much worse than I am!"

"Yeah, but I'm not dating them," Ash teased, inwardly relieved that his near screw up had been seemingly glossed over.

"I would hope not, considering they're all married," Misty giggled.

"Doesn't matter," Ash replied. "I still like you better."

Misty grinned and turned to gently smack Ash's chest. "When did you get so smooth?"

"Maybe I've always been smooth and you're just realizing it now," Ash joked.

"Please, you used to be as smooth as a jagged rock," Misty scoffed.

"That's _your_ opinion."

"No, that's _fact_. Do I have to call up Brock and ask him?"

Pikachu sighed and shook his head. He wasn't sure what was worse: Ash and Misty's serious arguments or the flirty ones like he was being forced to listen to now. The first hurt his ears, and the second tended to just gross him out.

Of course, the little electric Pokémon was just happy that his trainer and mate were happy.

The couple's playful laughter and banter was soon disrupted, however, by the sound of a camera snapping. Misty immediately looked up at Ash and frowned, while he ground his teeth together.

"Stupid paparazzi," he muttered.

"Come on, let's just keep going," Misty sighed, retaking Ash's hand into her own. "If we move quickly enough, maybe we can get away from them."

"We can never get away from them," Ash complained, although he picked up his pace per Misty's suggestion. "They always find out exactly where we are! I swear, it's like they installed a tracking device on me!"

Misty twisted her mouth in contemplation. "Hmm, not a bad idea. That could be useful for when I can't figure out where you are."

"Not helping!" Ash cried.

Unfortunately, the two were thwarted in their attempts to escape fairly quickly. Almost as soon as they reached the street corner, a small group of photographers popped out at them. Misty gasped and grabbed onto Ash's neck, nearly strangling him in the process. Once she managed to calm down, however, her shock was easily replaced with anger.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Misty fumed. "You can't just jump out at people like that!"

"Misty, stop!" Ash cried, his eyes widening. The photographers were visibly enjoying Misty's outburst, and began snapping away even more quickly. This only heightened Ash's anxiety, and without so much as thinking, he pulled Misty behind him and ordered, "Pikachu, go!"

The electric type jumped off his trainer's shoulder and started to charge up. _This_ succeeded in scaring the photographers off, Ash letting out a relieved sigh as they ran away.

"What the hell was that?!"

Ash whipped around, and was surprised to see that Misty was now directing her anger towards him. "What do you mean what was that? I was saving your ass!"

"What does scaring them away with Pikachu do?" Misty demanded. "They'll still keep coming after us!"

"Yeah, and you going off on a rampage is going to keep them coming after us even more," Ash stressed.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Misty growled.

"You just said it before, Mist: I'm not a normal guy," Ash sighed. "I really wish I was, but I'm not. And anything they can make a headline out of, they will."

"So what? You're saying 'crazy girlfriend' is a great…" Misty trailed off at the end, her lips bending into a slight frown as she averted her eyes. Of _course_ the media thought that would make a great headline. Who wouldn't be entertained by the idea of potentially the world's strongest Pokémon trainer dating a mental case? "Damnit, you're right."

Ash smiled sympathetically at his girlfriend. "Hey, I don't think you're crazy."

"Yeah, but _they_ do," Misty grumbled.

"Who's they?" Ash asked.

"Everybody else," Misty groaned. "Come on, Ash, don't get dense on me now."

"I'm not," Ash assured, a smile on his face. "Misty, the only person's opinion you should be concerned about is mine, and I love you just the way you are."

Misty sighed and tilted her head. "But those photographers…"

"So what?" Ash pressed. "They'll probably be back tomorrow to take more pictures. They're not all gonna be winners. Actually, most of them aren't. Last week, they took a picture of me eating lunch, and my mouth was open with a bunch of food spilling out…it was gross."

Misty remained silent for a moment before replying, "This is why I'm always telling you to chew with your mouth closed."

Ash raised an eyebrow, and Misty couldn't help but to start giggling. "Really? I'm trying to make you feel better and you're picking on the way I eat?"

"I'm not picking on you!" Misty was still giggling. She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Ash's shoulder, smiling up at him. "I love you. I really, really do, Ash. You're pretty much the only person in the world who can make me feel better when I get too much into my own head."

Ash returned her smile and gently placed a hand against the back of her head. "Thanks, Mist. I love you too."

He craned his neck down and pressed his lips against her own, his heart speeding up as he felt Misty's lips curve up into a smile. She soon began to kiss him back, having to stand on her tip toes to reach him, much to her chagrin. Misty's hands slowly moved up to thread his unruly black hair through her fingers, while Ash settled his hands on her hips, squeezing her gently.

Pikachu blushed considerably at the sight and uncomfortably looked over his shoulder, trying his best to give the two privacy without actually running off somewhere.

Ash's stomach began to growl again, and Misty quickly pulled away, shooting her boyfriend a disbelieving look. Ash, on the other hand, could only chuckle and sheepishly rub the back of his neck.

"Heh…guess we need to keep heading towards that restaurant, huh?"

Misty smirked and shook her head. "I'm glad you just told me how much you love me."

* * *

 **I thought this was a really nice theme to end the week on. I got to culminate all of my passion for these two and just write this sweet portrayal of them.**

 **With that, my participation in Pokeshipping week is officially over! I would like to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story this week. I would also like to thank everyone else who participated in the week and shared all of their hard work! It's amazing to see how much love this ship still gets, and how passionate its fans are. I've had such a great time seeing all of that this week, and I'm already super excited for next year!**

 **Of course, this isn't the end of me working on Pokeshipping content! Not by a long shot! Expect to see another installment of Family Matters up soon. Also, I've been working on a highly requested separate story: the first meeting of Misty and Serena. It was originally something I considered putting up for the week, but then I realized I wanted to follow the themes for the week instead. But that standalone story is nearly complete thanks to that fact, so also expect to see that published quite soon!**

 **Again, thank you for all of the love this week and beyond. The Pokeshipping community really is so great, and I feel honored to have been able to share this week with you all!**


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